I was born on November 10, 1976 in Belleville, New Jersey. I grew up wanting to be in the movies, mainly due to my love for Star Wars and the films of Steven Spielberg. I attended Sussex County Community College in the fall of 1995, and then I participated in the Walt Disney World College Program working as a tour guide for The Great Movie Ride at the then called “Disney MGM Studios.” I enrolled at California University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2000 with a degree in Communications.

Following graduation, I worked for a few years as a video editor at MSNBC. With a long line of teachers in my family, I turned my attention to education. I worked as a para-professional at Celebrate the Children, a school for children with Autism. I loved my new-found career, so I attended night school and earned my master’s degree in Special Education and became a kindergarten teacher.

In 2010, I moved to Florida and to this day, I work as a special education teacher in St. Cloud. I continue to write and design illustrations for children’s picture books in the evenings and weekends and during school breaks.

Over the years, I’ve had many wonderful pets, who continue to serve as inspiration for my characters. I love building with LEGO, martial arts, riding my bike, visiting theme parks, and going for long walks with my dog.